Steelers JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner ‘questionable’ this week

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be without two of their best offensive players on the road this week. Here’s why James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster are still questionable.

The Steelers offense kicked things up a bit this past weekend in a must-win game against the Cleveland Browns. While Devlin Hodges appears to be the right call at quarterback moving forward, Pittsburgh isn’t precisely gashing NFL defenses.

Mike Tomlin’s team was able to take down the Browns in a crucial game, but putting up a 20-point performance against the NFL’s 15th ranked defense isn’t exactly something to ride home about. With Pittsburgh’s defense playing so well this year, it’s imperative that the offense finds a way to put points on the board.

In order to do so, they will need the help of two of their best skill players – JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner. Unfortunately, both players are “questionable” at best this week against the Cardinals. Here is what head coach Mike Tomlin had to say:

"“The two significant ones, though, we still don’t have a lot of clarity. James Conner and JuJu I’d probably characterize both guys as questionable, as I stand here today. They have some work in front of them in terms of rehabilitation and maybe practice participation. We’ll see where all of that leads. I really just don’t have an indication of what that might be as I sit here today.”"

By the looks of things, James Conner is more likely to put the pads on and give it a go this weekend. Conner suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the Dolphins game that he reaggravated against the Browns in their first matchup with the Steelers.

He has not logged a practice yet, but if he can get on the field today or even tomorrow, there is a chance he could play on Sunday.

For JuJu, things don’t seem quite as optimistic. Though he is cleared from concussion protocol after leaving the Browns game in Week 11, he is still dealing with a knee injury before he is able to step back onto the practice field.

In his absence, James Washington has been brilliant. Last week alone, he caught all 4 of his targets for 111 yards and a touchdown. Still, there aren’t a lot of receiving options outside of him, and rookie Diontae Johnson is coming off one of his worst weeks of the season.

It’s critical that Pittsburgh gets JuJu and Conner back soon if they want to hang onto one of the final wildcard spots. The Steelers defense is playoff-caliber. It will be up to their offense to prove that they belong in the tournament.